Sadly, Sam Finkelstein passed away on November 21, 2007. He is sorely missed. The facts below remain the same.

Meet
Sheila and Sam Finkelstein

Married
in 1960, Sam and I lived our lives out of a passion
for family (which includes four grandchildren), friends, art, nature
and discovery. Both from Philadelphia, PA, we met on a blind date
and were married 4 1/2 months later. We started our life together
in Queens, NY, where our two sons, Joe and Rob, were born. We moved
to our first home in Old Bridge, NJ, in 1965 and lived there for
37 years. Our home was backed by woods, an important environment
for us. Goldfinches, chickadees and nuthatches on our deck off the
kitchen provide year-round pleasure. Hummingbirds are a highlight
in the Summer.

In December of 2002 we became year-round residents of Florida in
our beautiful home in Boynton Beach. The backyard birds now consist
of snowy, white egrets picking their way along the abundant green
that surrounds us, as we look out our many windows.

Our discovery, in March 2003, of Wakodahatchee
Wetlands, five minutes from our home, adds to our pleasure.
We walk there at least 4 or 5 times a week. See Florida
photo/drawings. We enjoy Great Blue Herons and a large variety
of other wildlife. Also check out our 11 year-old granddaughter's
photos from Wakodahatchee and Butterfly World.

In June of 2004, my second web site eTeletours.com was established.
The concept evolved as I was walking along the boardwalk brainstorming
on the phone with a friend from the YOU*U course in which I was
participating.

Sheila Finkelstein, nee Bakely -- I was graduated from the
Philadelphia High School for Girls (193rd class), then spent 3 years
at Temple University, originally intending a career in Social Work.
Those interests and skills, developed over subsequent years, translate
into training as a Personal Coach. Shortly after moving to Old Bridge,
I got passionately involved in establishing a public library there.
After leading a successful referendum, I returned to college, got
my Bachelor's Degree in Fine Arts Education from Kean College, and,
while teaching Art in Public Schools, I achieved a Master's Degree
in Creative Arts Education from Rutgers University. (See CARDS. ) Decline in enrollment and an abundance of art teachers thrust
me out into the world of sales and marketing in different industries,
where I remained for many years.

My passion for taking photos was originally inspired by Sam's talents,
support and his hours of work in the darkroom, printing my b&w
photos of students' art work, several of which were featured in
national publications. In 1995, during the course of a major beach
restoration in the Laurence Harbor section of Old Bridge, I took
close to 3,000 photos, documenting construction activities, equipment,
and nature changes, including many days and views of sunrises over
the bay. Since that time, my point-and-shoot camera is with me wherever
I go. Discovery and play resulted in the current photo/drawings
I've been developing during the past 2 years.

Walking,
focusing on images in Nature, and making discoveries, are the things
I know I can count on to enliven and enrich me. I find particularly
rewarding the responses people have to my art. (See TESTIMONIALS.)
I am currently working on discovering markets to reach where my
work will make a difference in how people "see" their
worlds. Suggestions and referrals are welcome. Write to Sheila.
Thanks for your visit.

Sam Finkelstein, after being graduated
from Central High School (193rd Class), chose Textile Engineering
as his chosen profession, enrolling in Philadelphia Textile Institute
(now Philadelphia University). While there, he developed a keen
interest in photography, taking countless photographs utilizing
the beautiful P.T.I. campus as his favorite background. In the summer
of his Junior year, carrying 3 cameras around his neck, he took
a 6-week trip throughout the U.S. Many of the photos from that trip
became the core of his future work.

He was graduated from P.T.I. in 1954 and entered the U.S. Army Medical
Corps. He was sent to the U.S. Army Hospital in Heidelberg, Germany,
and was fortunate to find time to study darkroom technique under
the tutelage of Oscar Klees, a newspaper photographer, who moonlighted
for the photo lab at the Hospital.

While in Europe, Sam took photographs in 12 countries. Before leaving
there in 1956, he had a one-man show of his work, "Twelve Countries
through the Eyes of the Camera," at the U. S. Information Center
in Heidelberg. Returning to the States, Sam made the decision to
keep photography as an avocation, while pursuing a career as Textile
Designer. He spent 25 years at United Merchants Industrial Fabrics
(UNIGLAS, Inc.) in New York City, designing fancy fiberglass woven
patterns and developing suitable markets for them. During this time
Sam continued developing his photographic hobby and participated
in contests and shows. He won several prizes and his work was published
in magazines.

After
moving to Old Bridge, Sam was able to set up a darkroom in his home
where he spent many of his non-NYC hours. In addition to the countless
family and trip pictures, he developed and mounted a large collection
of 8"x10" black and white photos, over 50% of which are
the European photos (see BW_PHOTOS).

Once color photography became popular he decided to leave the lab
work to the photo houses. Sam's work has been purchased through
photo stock agencies.

For further information on obtaining black
and white European images of the '50s or b&w nature and children's
pictures, e-mail Sheila,
or call 561-752-8339.